Duc2V4

I'll have to double check with sfdownhill, I believe he found them at Delkevic. I'll see if I can chat with him today and get back to you all.

Ideally you will want to get the 4 exhaust o-ring gaskets for the cylinder exhaust ports. When we did our initial run we did offer the O-ring gaskets but most folks just got them directly from Honda or Delkevic, especially the latter header production runs. This time, we suggest that most take that route, it'll be a lot easier on all involved. Depending on whether your studs at these locations are rusty or corroded, you may also want to order new studs/nuts, or use this time to use some sort of rust/corrosion remover on them while you're waiting. Just because I'm more critical, I ended up replacing these on both my 5 and 6 Gen when I installed my headers. The only other potential gasket you might need is the main header exit gasket, this will depend on what link pipe you currently have for your exhaust cans. In my 5 Gen case, the link pipe was a metal to metal fit and I did not need/use a gasket or modify the link pipe. In the 6 Gen case, I had to have the link pipe expanded to fit the header exit and there it was also a metal to metal fit, no gasket used. Although I do believe I used some type of sealant at the places where pipes joined together. I hope this helps answer your question. Cheers, D

Yeah, the main side effect to what they have me on is that it can sometimes make one drowsy. Prior to my surgery, just after the seizure they had me on 4 pills a day, 2 in the morning and 2 at night. When I was on that dosage, I would sometimes feel a little drowsy, but nothing too extreme. On the new regiment, it's only 2 pills a day, 1 in the morning and 1 at night, and I don't feel any side effects (knock on wood). So far so good, so I'll comply with the rules and wait but can't believe how much I miss riding. Not only do I commute via motorcycle, I also play on the weekends on one, unfortunately that's put on hold for now. Tick Tock, Tick Tock...

Yeah, ironically, all I have to say, and it's the truth, I feel great! The threat that was in my head is now 100% gone (confirmed by the surgeon) and now more or less, it's just playing the waiting game. In all honesty it feels weird discussing it sometimes, as I really don't feel like I've had surgery. Other than parts of my head (along the stitches), which are still a little numb, and without looking in a mirror, I would never even have guessed I had brain surgery. The events leading up to them and the actual process of having the surgery, is really the story. The recovery process has been nothing but unreal to me, but I'll take that any day of the week and twice on Sunday.

Thanks Seb. Yeah, not only am I surprised on my speed of recovery, I think I've surprised my Dr.'s too! Happy to be back and into the fray (somehwat) but ultimately, once I can drive and better yet, once I can ride again, will I feel completely healed.

That's what I'm afraid of!

Just realized I didn't post any update or my latest news. First the update, had a post surgery meeting with the neurosurgeon and he felt that I was doing very well and as long as I didn't have to be in an office to work, he was giving me the OK to be back at work, albeit, working from home. Luckily, for my role at the company, I have the luxury of doing just that. So starting on Feb 1st, 2023, I was back at work. The company let me bring "my desk" home, meaning 2 monitors, keyboard/mouse and laptop docking station, so I didn't miss a beat, didn't have to deal with a lot of bureaucratic BS by being away for a long time, so whew! So what next? A waiting game. When I had my seizure, the neurologist that saw me reported the seizure and I guess the California DMV suspended my driver's license because of it. When I went to the neurosurgeon and asked him if they were the ones to give the OK to get my license reinstated, he said no, that would be the neurologist who saw you at the time you had the seizure. So met with them the following week and asked what I needed to do in order to be able to drive again. Long story short, I had to agree to be on anti-seizure medication for 2 years and wait 3 months from the time of the seizure without having another one and without suffering side affects or complications from the first seizure. WOW! OK. Although this might seem extreme, if I didn't want to be on medication or to be off of it sooner, the wait time would have to be 6 months. So I said, "Two years and three months it is!" onward and upward. I'm just hoping after the three months is up, that the California DMV will be kind enough to reinstate my drivers license without a huge hassle! On that vein, I do have to see both the neurologist and the neurosurgeon in April, the former should be able to give the OK to get my license back and the latter should be able to say when I can go back to riding a motorcycle again, or at the very least when I can strap on a helmet without any issues. Ultimately that's my goal, to be back in the fray with the lot of you on the roads riding to our hearts content. We'll see how that goes, but I'll update you all for sure when that happens. In regards to my latest news, I had my yearly physical on Feb 9th and all was great. My regular DR. said she was impressed on how fast I recovered and that all my vitals, heart rate, lungs, etc. looked great. Did my bloodwork and just about every category we monitor, I was in the range we were aiming for, prior to the surgery. Essentially, I'm better now than before surgery, can't ask for more than that, right? Anyway, thanks for reading this and I hope that this info is helpful, if not inspirational to anyone else going through health issues. Cheers, D

Doing the deposit phase at the moment, so still time to get in on this production run. In regards to changes, only readjusting the 2 front pipes, getting the alignment of these pipes to the exhaust port on the engine more aligned. As for the fit, more like OEM than most other aftermarket kits out there currently. As far as we are aware, nobody has mentioned any issues with tire rubbing. If you are interested, send me or sfdownhill a PM and we can send the details on what we need to place your order, in summary though. Headers are now $1005.00 with a $300 deposit to get yours reserved. Shipping will be determined once ready to ship. Cheers, D

OK folks, the ball is in play! I just sent out PM's to all of those on the list that have a VFRD username. What could better on Valentines Day than a message from Duc2V4 letting you know you can now officially buy a set of performance headers for your beloved VFR?! Cheers!

For those following this thread. I met with the Neurosurgeons last week and got the OK to go back to work Feb 1st., albeit from Home for now, but none the less, they gave their blessing on my returning to a more normal life! Have to see the Neurologist this Thursday to see if/when I can get my DL reinstated, they suspended it due to the seizure. Also want to know if/when I can stop taking meds twice a day. I know it will be sometime before I can ride again, let alone even put on a helmet but when I do get to do both, I'm going for the longest ride I've taken in some time! Anyway, thanks all for the well wishes I have to say somethings going right, as I still have no pain! Maybe the wife is right, I just may be a numb skull 😉 Here's a more recent pic of me feeling and getting better. Cheers! D

Not sure yet, but I go back to the Dr.'s this Thursday, so hoping to get a better look at it. I'm hoping it looks like the "Corkscrew", I've been called a bit "screwy" more than a few times. 🙂

I with you there brother. Have to blame my dad though. He was just a prankster all around. Like the time I came crying to him cause a dog had bitten me on the park playground. His retort..."Well, go bite him back" I learned 2 things that day after doing so. #1, don't always take pops seriously and #2, it was best way to become the alpha male on the park playground! Dog never bothered me after that but boy did my dad get a tongue lashing from my mom!

Thanks for the well wishes everyone, much appreciated! My brother, 'Shotgunz' said I should change my name to "Chicane", due to the new scar, said it reminded him of chicane on a race track. What do you think?

Hey all, I know some of you had read about my latest "adventure" from the header thread posted by sfdownhill. Just wanted to chime in directly, as it was truly an ADVENTURE! I should first say, thank you to both sfdownhill and shotgunz, these two are some of the best people you can have on your side. Even if they could not contribute to my betterment medically, just their presence and their visits really helped me recover mentally. Knowing I have such good people who care about me really made a difference, so thanks guys, I really appreciate you stopping by! As for my story, well, that started 16 years ago I guess, when I went to the Dr. to see why my upper arms seemed to be going numb every once in a while. Well, after being poked and prodded and quizzed and scanned, we did determine a pinched back muscle was the cause BUT they did find something inside my head via an MRI that really shouldn't have been there. Yep, some little "tumor" like item that was beneath my forehead and just behind the left eye. Well, of course that brings up a whole other topic of what to do about it. The Dr. I had did not think it was something overly threatening and felt that it had been there awhile and based on what he saw in the MRI, felt I was probably something we could keep an eye on. That is, unless I wanted to remove it then. After a few conversations and feeling good about it, we decided to just keep an eye on it, meaning take MRIs of it every 6 months or so, so that's what we did. Fast forward another 15 years and BANG! The tumor decided that it needed a little more room, so it grew a CM and that's all it took to trigger a seizure! Yep, 1AM or so in the middle of December 28th, 2022 my wife wakes up to me "snoring". Well, so she thought. The normal process is to poke me in my side and tell me to roll over on my left side so my snoring stops. Well, that didn't work. Let me shake him awake and see if he'll turn...hmm, that didn't work either. Wait a minute is that snoring? Realizing that what we normally do did not work, she listened more carefully, note that she had lost a lot of her hearing some years back, so somethings don't always sound like what they are. Well, on comes on the bedroom light and low and behold, yours truly was having a full-on seizure. She sees me biting my tongue, blood coming out my mouth and me in full on seizure mode! BAM! runs straight to the phone, calls 911 and low and behold, within minutes the ambulance is there ready to rush me to the hospital. She literally saved my life folks, had she not been there or reacted as fast as she did, I would have most likely drowned on my own fluids. So, if I say or do anything here on the forum that upsets you, you can blame her 😉 What was so weird and odd about this happening, I had no recollection of anything up until I wake up in an ambulance strapped down to the gurney. WTF! As I start to come to, I start looking at where I am and what condition I'm in..."Wait, I'm in my pajamas strapped to a bed, holy s#!t, they've taken me from my bed! Where's my wife, please tell me she's not in this same predicament????!" Well, the crew start to let me know what exactly is going on but I'm still a little slow to process but ultimately demand I be released from the bed, unfortunately, I wasn’t, and I finally get to the hospital. Here is where I finally become more myself again and learn of what had transpired. This is also when they start to really quiz you to see exactly where you are mentally. Gratefully I am answering their questions well and accurately BUT one of the crew decides to quiz me on when I was married. I let him know, "October 17, 1998", he then asks, how long have you been married? I say 20 years or so...He snapped back "It's 24 years!" Oh no you didn't! I raise my head look him in the face and say very vocally "At least I got the F#cking date right!" Oddly, this is where I felt I wanted to smack him! Alas, I didn't. Probably for the better. 🙂 Well, a week later I'm talking to the surgeons and getting ready for my Craniotomy. When did that happen? Friday the 13th! Yes, you heard that right, all good though, everything went well, could not have asked for a better outcome. I have to say that all in all, I been through a lot but can honestly say that I feel really good and have very little to NO PAIN! Can't ask for better than that, right? Unfortunately having this surgery means a few things, #1, No riding of motorcycle for quite some time ☹, #2, No drinking for quite some time, but that's not always a bad thing. #3, get healed up! What can I add here, for sure 2 more things, #1, you can never have too many friends and family to support you while you are in the hospital, whether that's before, during or after surgery. And ultimately...IT'S GOOD TO BE ALIVE! Cheers, D

Yeah, sfdownhill is supposed to get that setup but he’s has some personal stuff to get out of the way first. We’ll try and get this going ASAP.

So got word back from sfdownhill, looks like builder is ready to move forward...:)

I spoke with sfdownhill last night and he is going to confirm with the pipe builder this weekend that he’s ready to take on more work. Should have an answer by this coming Monday…

I’ll bump sfdownhill on this.

And here's the 5 Gen video. They definitely sound different to me. IMG_7082.MP4

For those following. I grabbed 2 videos, one of the newly rebuilt 6.5 Gen and one of my 5 Gen post crash rebuild. As for the latter, I was lucky to fins most of the parts and pieces right away and I may even had some of them already. Although untouched in the crash, I did swap out the CF tube with some fresh CF. I got the CF tube from sfdownhill in exchange for my mechanical services if I remember correctly. Could have been as simple as some tire changes. No matter, it looks fresher and the original 2Bros parts fit just right. Here's the 6 Gen video: IMG_7080.MP4

It seems to. I've ridden with it a few times and no issues that I have experienced.

Thanks. When I started "barrel rolling" I thought, "Oh man, this is it, I'm gonna be hurting for a while!" When my left hand hit the ground and I felt the finger dislocate, I immediately grabbed both shoulders with the opposite hands and I came to a slow roll. I thought for sure broken bones and the like. Nope, not as bad as I thought. Small fractures of vertebrae and dislocated pinky, I'll take that any day of the week, just no broken bones, with all of my off-road riding crashes I went through, I should have been in cast many times. My dad use to tell me he thought I was born under a lucky cloud, have to say, based on several events in my life, I started to think he was right. I definitely don't take my luck for granted though, some folks just get lucky. Yeah, that Duc is one of my favorites, glad I bought it when I did. I've had so many riders who came up to me when at rider hang outs offer me cash on the spot! (Well practically) definitely had a few over zealous fans pester me even after I said no more than a few times.

Oh no, that 5 Gen was resurrected and is my go to "fun" bike again. I probably should have documented that rebuild too but the pain seeing her in that condition was too much. I just wanted her back together as quick as possible. You can actually see a slight glimpse of her in one of the photos above. I'll see if I can get pics of her when I grab video of the 6 Gen.

Thanks. As far as the crash. The track was "Streets of Willow", which at the time was still in OK shape, they have since repaved it but have not been on it as of yet. The turn I was coming out of was the "bowl" a fast right hand curve which takes you to a little chicane. Two things that were both my fault, one, I didn't do a proper warm up lap, so cold tires! The other is that little chicane, if not on the middle part of the track, can be really dusty near the edges. I came a little too close to those dusty edges before I started my lean to the left, touched the front brake to do my trail braking and viola! cold tires, meet dusty track, meet braking...BOOM! instant crash. The funny part, if you can call it funny. When I got up, the guy that I was following had also gone down but at a later part of track, so when one of the other riders came up to me said "Hey, are you alright? Steve went down too. Both you guys crashed" I immediately thought "OK, so it wasn't just me" but later found out he low sided on a turn just on the other side of where I crashed. He mentioned almost the same thing as me, he went to trail brake and down he went. Sometimes the wind is really bad at Willow and can often make the track very "dirty" so caution needs to be taken. This is one of our jobs while corner working reporting sections of the track we feel are getting "sketchy" and also to report when students go down. Another. maybe not so funny thing. When they asked if I wanted the medics to come by and check me out I said yes. Figured just to be safe as adrenaline can often mask injuries you might have and don't notice. The one thing for sure I knew I had, was my dislocated left pinky. I initially thought it was broken but realized it was only dislocated. I popped it back together and then made my hand into a fist and it popped back out. When the medics came over, I asked them if they could reset my pinky, the responded with "That's out of our scope. The best we can do is put a splint on it or tape it to your other finger, otherwise you'll have to be driven to the hospital". I said, that's not going to happen (I really wasn't feeling too bad this point) so I popped it back into place, put my hand up to them and said "Tape it!". This is how I ended up at the end of the day.

6 Gen ECU, Injectors and coil on plug. The only thing I have that is 5 Gen is the motor, everything else is all 6 Gen. Thanks for the Ducati compliment. I bought that brand new in 1995 and I plan on keeping it until I can ride no more. 🙂